A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.
By Debbie Gorski, Wyoming Entrepreneur social media community manager
"What is a virtual conference and how does it work?" Rebecca, Laramie
For the entire month in May I attended a conference on social media presented by amazing speakers and that offered opportunities to network with people from all over the world. How do you attend a conference for an entire month?
It was a unique conference because the entire event was implemented virtually, using social media sites for networking. Michael Stelzner, author of "Writing White Papers" and the founder and executive director of the online magazine, SocialMediaExaminer.com, organized the Social Media Success Summit, in which I was a participant.
Virtual conferences are an intriguing idea to me because they eliminate travel, hotel and various other expenses associated with conference traveling. They allow participation from the comfort of your home or office. You get the front row seat, so to speak.
The presentation is clear, you can ask questions, receive handouts or links and network with the speakers. Perhaps the most beneficial aspect is that I didn't have to run to the next session and fight for a chair and feel exhausted at the end of the day. I was able to focus on the speaker and really listen to what he or she was saying. The Social Media Success Summit fueled the excitement for me to chair our Virtual Women's Business event next March, which also is Women's History Month.
Thanks to state director, Diane Wolverton, our organization has made a commitment to be a presence on many social media sites and assist Wyoming small businesses when they market and set-up "shop" using social media.
Wolverton wrote a grant and received funding from the Small Business Jobs Act to implement several special projects, including the Virtual Women's Business event. Consider this the first public announcement. U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis is co-sponsoring the event with our organization, Wyoming Entrepreneur. We have a vibrant and talented group of professionals working on the committee.
For more information, visit the website: www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz and link to the many social media sites to track our progress.
A blog version of this article and an opportunity to post comments is available at http://www.wyomingentrepreneur.typepad.com/blog/.
The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, e-mail wsbdc@uwyo.edu or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.
